


Not Much Has Changed, Except for Everything

by hellowkatey



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [21]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Use of the Force (Star Wars), Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Obi-Wan Kenobi Has PTSD, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Planet Melida | Daan (Star Wars), Protective Anakin Skywalker, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29626731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellowkatey/pseuds/hellowkatey
Summary: Anakin is angry at Obi-Wan, and the Force decides to intervene by throwing him back in time.[Febuwhump day 21: time travel (alt. 7)]
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138259
Comments: 9
Kudos: 267





	Not Much Has Changed, Except for Everything

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MegsyJ98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegsyJ98/gifts).



Anakin is angry. He knows he isn't supposed to be angry because "anger leads to the dark side" and whatnot, but he can't help that he is seething. He _should_ head straight into a meditation room and deal with his anger the way he is trained. Or even lock himself in a training sala and work out his emotions constructively. 

Instead, he barges through the door of his apartment, and when his master isn't in the living room or kitchen he barges into his bedroom.

Obi-Wan sits on the bed in a lotus position, a datapad balanced on his knee and a cup of tea in the other hand. He looks up with a raised eyebrow like he expected him to end up here eventually. 

"Hello, padawan... what--" 

"Don't," Anakin says sharply, so worked up he's bobbing back and forth on the balls of his feet. "You recommended passing me over for trials again." 

Obi-Wan's shoulders drop and he rests the mug on his thigh. "Anakin we have talked about--"

"You _know_ I'm ready! I have the highest marks in combat and control of the Force. I even got my grades up in philosophy. How could you do this to me?" 

Obi-Wan doesn't answer him a moment, just does the endlessly annoying thing where he ever so carefully and calmly puts away whatever he was doing to give him his full attention. _And to make sure I don't throw his hot tea across the room... again._

"Are you going to let me speak a full sentence, or are you just here to yell at me?" Anakin crosses his arms over his chest. It's enough of a response. The Jedi knight sighs. "Anakin, we've talked about this. You are a fine senior padawan and very close to being ready for your trials but as you are very _relevantly_ demonstrating, you still have some work to do on managing your emotions." 

"I'm only mad because you went behind my back!" 

"Went behind-- " he shakes his head. "I never told you I was going to recommend you for your trials this cycle, I only said you were getting close, and the council agreed with my assessment." 

The idea of his master and the council discussing him and how _unready_ he is for the knight trials only pours salt in the wound. 

"I basically command my own battalion like a Jedi general at this point. I have done everything you say, and you still treat me like I'm a kid." 

"Need I remind you that if you were knighted at your current age, you would be one of the youngest human Jedi knights?" 

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" 

"I don't mean--I am just saying, you talk as though I'm holding you back from your peers when many of your age-mates are years from being considered for knighthood." 

"I don't _care_ about my age-mates?" Anakin huffs.

"You just need more time to mature--" Anakin rolls his eyes. He's heard this exact lecture a billion times from Obi-Wan. 

"More time to _mature_. Much more to _learn_. Master, just because I don't have a lightsaber up my ass and recite the Jedi Code in my sleep, doesn't mean I'm not ready!"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's calm demeanor turns colder. A warning tone. 

"Where did being the perfect padawan get _you_ anyway? Qui-Gon didn't even try to knight you until you were what, twenty-five?" 

"Anakin--" 

"And you didn't even do the trials, it was basically just a pity--" 

"Enough," Obi-Wan stands from the bed, his tone severe. Immediate regret trickles in at the sight of Obi-Wan's intense stare. He's gone too far. "You're lashing out and certainly not _acting_ like a Jedi Knight. This is not me asking you to be _perfect_ this is me asking you to be _reasonable_. Think about it in any other way besides The Galaxy vs. Anakin and you'll see you are acting like the child you so desperately don't want to be!" 

Anakin doesn't quite know where to go from here because _usually_ Obi-Wan sits there and lets him go on until he runs out of steam or makes a fool of himself. But this time... Anakin has never seen him snap into action and actually fire back so hard. He didn't want to hurt his feelings he was... just frustrated. 

"Obi-Wan I--" 

"Anakin can we talk about this tomorrow?" he massages his temple with his pointer finger. "My headache is becoming a migraine and you have some meditating to do." 

He sighs. Not really wanting to leave things that way, but when Obi-Wan gets his migraines there isn't much talking that can actually happen. He walks over to his dresser and grabs a pill bottle. 

"Yeah, Master. Tomorrow." he places the pill bottle in his hand and leaves the bedroom. The door closes behind him. 

Obi-Wan probably thinks he's going to bed, but he isn't. Instead, Anakin leaves, taking deep breaths as he walks through the halls of the Temple. The Force is especially pungent today. It feels like he's wading through a foggy bog with all the negative emotions he's stirred up, and meditating in his room isn't going to resolve that. So he heads to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It's a weird time-- the younglings should be at dinner, it's evening briefings for the knights and padawans out on a campaign, and the council is usually in session, leaving the massive fountain room basically empty. 

He climbs a few levels up, already feeling better with the mist of the waterfalls against his skin and the activity of climbing. His favorite place is a little nook on the fourth level where an upper fall cascades beside it. The constant water noise is soothing-- something he never thought he'd ever hear when he was a kid. If he's going to do the old-fashioned meditation, it's going to be here. Anakin settles down on the rocks, breathing in slowly and letting the Force saturate around him. With how pushy it's been acting, there's no surprise he's pulled into a good, deep meditation quickly. 

Anakin awakes lying on the ground. He doesn't remember falling asleep, but meditation is pretty boring so it's not uncommon for him. He groans, letting his eyes adjust to the light streaming in from the window-- he must have slept here all night... whoops. Hopefully, it's still early or else Obi-Wan will have a whole other reason to be mad at him. 

But strangely, when his eyes adjust he realizes he isn't in the Room of a Thousand Fountains anymore. He's laying in the middle of the hallway that leads to the council chambers. 

_Did someone carry me down or... No that would be difficult and I would have woken up. Maybe I sleepwalked?_ Anakin has never done that but he supposes there's a first time for everything. He straightens out his wrinkled robes and tries to fix a few parts of his braid that are trying to unravel. 

Voices approach. He looks down the hall to see a tall master walking with long strides. Beside him, a little boy trails slightly behind and to the side-- the padawan position. But this boy doesn't look like much of a padawan. His hair is long, unevenly cut and falling into his eyes and down to his collar. If he has a braid, Anakin can't see it. While he wears some Jedi robes, they're mixed with pieces of civilian clothing. A blue undershirt paired with a the standard-issue outer robe and black pants with mismatched patches on both knees. And he's tiny-- concerningly skinny from the way his robe is hanging off of him. The boy's bright eyes snap to him as he stares, and Anakin adverts his eyes from the strange kid. 

"Excuse me, padawan," the master says, brushing past him, and Anakin's entire body freezes. The voice is familiar, one he would never forget. He'd been so busy trying to figure out what the heck is going on with the padawan's wardrobe that he didn't get a good luck at the Jedi Master's face. Anakin whirls around. 

"Master Jinn?" 

The master stops, and turns around, his eyebrow raised. "Yes?" He blinks. _This isn't possible._ Qui-Gon is dead. Has been for a decade. Qui-Gon steps forward, cocking his head to the side. "Are you well? You've gone pale." 

"Yes," Anakin chokes. "Yes, I'm... I'm fine. Just... uh, have you seen Master Windu?" 

His brown eyes scan over Anakin critically. "In a council meeting. They should be done soon." 

He can't stop staring at the dead master. He looks younger than Anakin remembers. Grays are only beginning to invade his sideburns, and there are far fewer wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and across his forehead. _This must be a dream... a really vivid dream._.. but how could Anakin possibly dream about Qui-Gon if he never knew him at this age? 

The realization dawns on him. He looks down at the shaggy padawan. Bright blue eyes shine back, silently watching Anakin's awkward encounter. A blank stare that Anakin would recognize anywhere. "Obi-Wan?" he blurts out. 

Now the kid looks alarmed. He can't be older than twelve or thirteen. "Uh, yes..." 

"Manners, Obi-Wan. Senior padawans are to be respected, too." Qui-Gon corrects, and the padawan's eyes widen, and then he bows. Master Jinn turns his attention back to Anakin, still looking at him funny. "Where is your master? And what is your name, I'm sorry, I thought I knew most of the senior padawans." 

"I, uh, my name is Ani. My master is a shadow, so I'm... gone a lot." 

It's a threadbare excuse that any reasonable Master would as follow-up questions to, but Qui-Gon seems to be in too much of a hurry to go through the trouble. He just nods. "Right. Nice to meet you, Padawan Ani, but we must be going. Master Windu should be done momentarily, though, if you wait outside the council chambers. 

"Thank you, Master," Anakin replies, bowing. He still can't believe he's really talking to Master Jinn again... and padawan Obi-Wan? This just makes it even weirder. Why is he dressed like that? And how did Anakin get here? _When_ even is here? 

It has to be some trick of the Force. There really isn't another explanation. For some reason, it has sent him back in time, and he has a feeling it has something to do with Obi-Wan. 

The pair turn and continue on in the direction they were before. He watches them go, Obi-Wan trailing with his head staring at the ground. 

"As I was saying, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon says in a low voice, but the acoustics of the vaulted hallways make it sound as though he's talking directly to Anakin. "The council may have accepted you back on probationary status, but I am not yet ready to accept you again as my student. Do you understand this?" 

Anakin's brows crease in confusion. The Force must have sent him back in time and to another dimension! If he heard Master Jinn right then... Anakin needs to talk to little Obi-Wan and find out what's going on.

It's harder to track down the kid than he thought it would be. He passes the time by taking a quick lap around the Temple to check out what else is different in this new time-- he figures out it's about two or three years before he's actually _born_ , which is weird. Not much has really changed besides the Temple being much fuller. Like when he first was brought here. His first stop is the Archives, which surprisingly doesn't contain Tiny-Wan. He passes by the mess, the padawan training sala-- nothing. Then he gets an idea. 

He strolls into the initiate training sala and smiles. Obi-Wan is on the other side of the room, his back to the door and a training saber in hand. He goes through the Form I katas slowly and smoothly. 

As Anakin strolls in, Obi-Wan stops, dropping his saber at his side and turning slowly around. "Oh, hi Padawan Ani," he says in the same Core accent but a few octaves higher. It seems he hasn't had time to change, so he's stripped down to his undershirt and pants, Jedi robes cast to the side. He seems to also have gained a strip of cloth he's fashioned as a headband to keep his hair back. It makes parts of his hair stick up in wild directions. Definitely, a look that isn't characteristic of his usually tidy Master. He tops off the greeting with a polite bow.

"No need to bow when we're not around the Masters, kid. And you can just call me Ani. We're both padawans." 

Obi-Wan's eyes drop to the ground, his face falling. He can't get over how _young_ he looks. "Oh... you didn't hear?" 

"Like I said, I've been away." 

He traces a saber mark on the ground with the toe of his boot. "I, uh, left for a while. My master doesn't trust me anymore." 

Out of all the things he expected to come out of Obi-Wan's mouth, this was not one of the possible options he contrived. "Doesn't trust-- I mean, what could you have possibly done?"

"I said I left," he says, his blue eyes snapping up to him with surprising intensity. Anakin raises an eyebrow. 

"You're angry." 

"I'm not angry." 

"You're upset." 

Tiny-Wan doesn't reply. Anakin gets another idea. He pulls out his lightsaber and turns down the power into training mode. The kid watches him carefully. 

"Wanna spar?" 

"Now?" 

"Helps blow off some steam so it's easier to meditate later." Anakin ignites his saber, waving around the blue blade in a quick spin. Obi-Wan's long face turns to a grin, and he ignites the training saber again. They stand in opening positions, Obi-Wan sticking with Form I, which makes sense for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old. Anakin decides maybe doing a form he isn't as good at would even things out a little more-- he raises his lightsaber above his head, turning his body to the side and pointing his arm straight out toward Obi-Wan. The kid's eyes widen at the Soresu stance.

In taking a defensive form, Obi-Wan is the first to make a move. He moves swiftly, naturally, testing out the clash of the sabers against one another with simple blows Anakin is meant to easily deflect. _He's testing me_ , Anakin realizes as he keeps pushing him in a tight circle. He lets the kid get warmed up to the spar, giving him a few more offensive moves to mix things up, which seems to excite him. 

"Been a while since you sparred?" Anakin asks. 

"That obvious?" 

"Oh, no, Obi-Wan I didn't mean you were doing bad you just seem... happy to be doing it." _The Force is singing right now._

The kid does a slightly more advanced move, grinning wildly. "I've missed fighting with a lightsaber." 

Slowly, Anakin is picking up clues. He "left", didn't have his saber with him (or he did and just had nobody to use it against), and whatever he did got him in trouble with the council. 

"What form do you wanna learn first?" 

"Four!" he says, demonstrating a classic Ataru acrobatic move with his answer, which surprises Anakin enough that Obi-Wan manages a combo move. 

Anakin smiles. If only he knew he'd be a master of Soresu a handful of years from now. 

"Very impressive, young one. You stayed in shape while away." 

Once again, his face falls, and he puts his energy back into the fight. Their actions start picking up, Obi-Wan funneling more of his young energy into quick movements and acrobatics. Though his forms have fallen out completely by this point and turned into less controlled jabs, Anakin is struck with how smart he's fighting. He is selective with diversions and fakes, fighting well enough that Anakin is actually having to put some effort into maintaining his Soresu form. He's _strong_ too. He slams his saber into his with surprising force, but never still long enough for Anakin to return the blow. 

It's like he's used to fighting those much larger than him. He uses his size and speed to his advantage, knowing exactly how and where to strike that makes it difficult for Anakin to counter. It's fascinating, and not at all like how Obi-Wan spars now. Anakin even starts to forget who he is crossing swords with after a while until he speaks and the Tiny-Wan accent reminds him. 

"You're holding back," he says, his forehead sheening with sweat. 

"You're a kid." 

"It's harder to practice real sparring when _you're_ fighting like a training droid." 

Anger? Taunting? Who _is_ this kid? Anakin smirks at him, and when they reach a lull, he shifts his position into an offensive. _Now, let's show him how Ataru is done._

The fight ends minutes later. To Tiny-Wan's credit, he held him off well, but Anakin is a senior padawan, trained by one of the best swordsmen in the Order, and Obi-Wan... well, he hasn't found out he's one of the best swordsmen in the Order yet. His chest rises and falls rapidly as he lays on the training sala floor. Anakin peers over him, and finds a toothy smile on his face. 

"That. Was. _Awesome!"_ he says, jumping up. "You moved so fast I couldn't even see you sometimes! You and my master--" he trails off, biting on his lip. His mood deflates. "You and Master Jinn should spar sometime. He also specializes in Ataru." 

"Do you feel less upset now, at least?" 

He nods. "I have a lot of catching up to do, but it... helped. Thanks, Ani." 

Obi-Wan walks over to the bench to get dressed again. As he picks up his robe, his belt falls and clatters against the durasteel bench, making a loud singular bang. He doesn't think much of it until he looks at the padawan and sees his entire body has gone rigid, his eyes darting around the room. 

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asks. When he doesn't move, he walks up to him and crouches down to eye level. "Obi-Wan, what's wrong?" 

The kid clears his throat, his eyes finally focusing on the senior padawan. "I, uh, nothing, Ani. Just... loud." 

Anakin reaches down and picks up the belt. "The noise this made... Did it scare you?" 

"Jedi don't get scared." 

"That isn't true. What just happened? Your face is white as a sheet." 

With a deep, shaky sigh, the padawan sits down on the bench and buries his face in his hands. "It sounded... it sounded like the invasion bell." 

"Invasion bell?" 

"The scouts would ring it when they were attacking in the night." 

"Obi-Wan, I don't know what you're referring to." 

"The--The Melida. Or the Daan!" he exclaims, his head popping up from his hands. "They attacked so often in the night, we could never sleep well. What if we missed the bell?" 

Cold sweat is beading on his forehead. Anakin has _no idea what to say._ He puts a comforting hand on his shoulder instead, rubbing softly. 

"Hey, hey, you're not there anymore. It was just your belt. You're in the Jedi Temple. You're safe now. Just... breathe." 

He guides him through deep breaths in and out-- something that his own master has gotten him through as well. It's strange to be preaching his own tactics back at him, though he doesn't seem to notice. Probably hasn't learned them yet. 

Obi-Wan recovers. Finishes getting dressed. Seems embarrassed to have him kneeling beside him rubbing circles on his back from the flush in his cheeks. "I should... go home now. But thanks for fighting with me Ani." 

"Anytime, kid. You know, things with your master are going to work out." 

Tiny-Wan looks up at him with those big blue eyes. "You think so?" 

"I know so." 

Obi-Wan leaves with a spring in his step. As soon as he's out of the room, Anakin deflates. How did this kid-- shellshocked and emotional-- become his steadfast master? How has he never heard _any_ of this before? He decides the best way to figure this out is to go talk to the council. Tell them he's here somehow and try to figure out more. 

But suddenly the sala starts to sway, and he begins to feel like he's being put under a sleep suggestion. _Uh oh. Not now! Not yet! I just need to talk to--_

Anakin gasps awake, a headache pounding at his temples and his sleeve soaking wet from falling into the spray of the waterfall. He's back in the room of a thousand fountains, back in his own time period, assumingly, and now with a million questions going through his head. Light is streaming in from the skylights-- he really did spend all night here. He wastes no time jumping up and climbing down the falls. 

Obi-Wan is awake when he bursts back into the apartment, sitting at the kitchen table eating sliced fruit. He looks up apathetically when Anakin enters, half soaking wet, only raising an eyebrow. _The Obi-Wan blank stare that apparently he's had mastered since he was a kid._

"Where have _you_ been?" 

_You wouldn't believe me if I told you._ "Early start." 

"Mmhm." he doesn't sound convinced, but he chooses to stuff another piece of fruit in his mouth instead of questioning him further. 

"Obi-Wan..." Anakin doesn't even know where to start. "Can I ask you something?" 

"Sure," he says, gesturing to the chair across from him. Anakin sits down slowly. It's early enough that Obi-Wan is still in his nightclothes and his hair an unorderly mess. In this state, Anakin can see a flash of his padawan self, long messy hair, and baggy clothes hanging off him. "What is it?" 

"What's the Melida?" 

Obi-Wan lowers his fork slowly, "In... In what context?" 

"Like... Melida or the Daan. Maybe a war?" 

Obi-Wan goes completely still. He stares forward for a long time, not looking at Anakin or anything in particular just staring. What can Anakin do besides sit there and wait for him to say something. Anything. 

"Well," he finally says. "Melida/Daan was a planet that had a civil war spanning generations." 

"Had?" 

"Well, it ended years ago. By a third group that fought against the other two for peace," he swallows dryly. "The Young. Why... Why do you ask, Anakin?" 

"Well, I..." he didn't think he'd get this far if he's being honest. From the way Obi-Wan is looking at him, he seems to not have expected this to ever come up. "I heard something. About you as a padawan." 

He's quiet for another moment. Not as long as the first, but just as haunting. 

"Qui-Gon and I had a mission there when I was thirteen. Master Tahl had gone dark, and we were sent to find her. I saw what was happening on this planet. That _children_ had taken it upon themselves to fight the war their great-great-grandparents waged. And I felt my place was there with them." Obi-Wan stands from the table, walking toward the window that faces out onto the skyline of Coruscant. "Qui-Gon didn't agree with me. He gave me a choice, and I chose to leave the Jedi Order and stay on the Melida/Daan." 

"You... left the Jedi?" Anakin whispers in awe. Suddenly Tiny-Wan's cryptic words make sense. 

"For about a year, yes. And then my feelings changed. I wanted to return, and we needed the help of the Jedi to lock in peace for the planet so I called Qui-Gon again. And he came for me... not without consequences, though," he mutters the last part. 

"You. _You_ left the order?" 

"That is what I just told you, yes." 

"And Master Jinn... he was hard on you about it?"

Obi-Wan's lips press together into a thin line. "Master Jinn and I were on scant terms before I left. He feared I would turn out like his previous padawan who turned to the dark side."

This almost makes Anakin laugh out loud. Obi-Wan? Turning to the dark side? He literally can't think of a person less likely. 

But he thinks about how when he met padawan Obi-Wan his emotions were strong, easily read across his face. He was upset and a little angry and Master Jinn certainly wasn't doing anything to help him with that. Now Anakin feels _horrible_ for what he said to his master the night before. Not only was it out of frustration, but it was also _completely incorrect_. 

"Master, I'm... I'm sorry. For what I said earlier. I didn't... I wasn't--" 

"Not many do," he says serenely. "And maybe I should have told you sooner I just..." he shrugs. "I suppose it's not my favorite topic to think about. I was far too young to be in a warzone. And when I returned, my guilt often got the best of me. It took a long time for him to trust me again. It's not a way I wanted you as my padawan to see me."

But when Anakin looks at Obi-Wan now, he isn't let down by this new context. If anything, it makes him respect his master even more. He always believed that Obi-Wan was hard on him because he wanted him to be as perfect as he was... but obviously, Tiny-Wan wasn't the saint he thought him to be, and Master Jinn didn't exactly give Obi-Wan the benefit of the doubt. But now he knows, even if it was just a glimpse, that maybe he knows more about needing to keep emotions under control than Anakin previously thought. 

"Will you tell me more Tiny-Wan stories?" Anakin asks, making his master look at him funny. 

" _Tiny-Wan?_ Why are you assuming I was _small_?" 

_Because I met you, Master, and you were pretty tiny._ "Just... a hunch I suppose." 

"Well, I'll have you know I was perfectly average for my age group." he pouts.

" _Fine_ ," the padawan groans. "Will you tell me more of your padawan stories?" 

Obi-Wan walks into the kitchen and puts a kettle on the range. "I'm sure something of that sort can be arranged." 

He watches him pull out two mugs and start to make some tea. He picks out Anakin's favorite as well as some milk-- just the way he likes it. And then his own. He watches his master with a new admiration. This must have been what the Force was trying to lead him to. 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the wonderful suggestion by MegsyJ98 "Anakin sees Qui-Gon imply to padawan Kenobi that he’s on thin ice after “certain events” (Melida/Daan or another of Kenobi’s greatest hits). This then leads a confused Anakin to start asking questions." 
> 
> I've never received a prompt request before so that was really fun! And since I've done a fair amount of torture in this Febuwhump series I thought I'd switch up the prompt for day 21 lol. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and come say hi (or send me more prompts ???) on my Tumblr @hellowkatey


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